5 THz Figure-of- Merit Reliable Phase-change RF Switches for Millimeter-wave Applications

We report the first SbTe phase-change material (PCM) RF switches with a record reliable switching cycle endurance of 10 million. The PCM RF switches were fabricated with SbTe alloy and a refractory TiW heater in a planar configuration. Without the parasitic capacitance coupling of the micro-heater, the RF switch figure-of-merit (FOM) was as high as 4.8 – 6.3 THz, depending on the switch gap. The RF switch FOM was 7.5 – 10 times better than state-of-the-art RF switches, including RF silicon-on-insulator technology.